Mumbai: Amid MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s claim of an Rs 18 crore donation scam at the Siddhivinayak Temple, the temple trust on Monday said it wants an audit of the sharp rise in offerings over the past two years and maintained that eight people arrested in the matter are now out on bail, ANI reported.
At a press conference in Mumbai on Sunday, a trustee said police had already acted against the accused and that several employees had been suspended for allegedly taking money from devotees in return for VIP darshan at the shrine.
He said, “So far, the temple employees who were detained by the police on the basis of allegations were first given police custody and then jail custody. Then the court granted them bail. Eight people were detained by the police and were given 3 days of police custody. After police custody, they received an NCR (Non-Cognizable Report), and after that, they were granted bail, including Naresh Khade.”
The trustee added that cash offerings are counted every Wednesday and deposited in the bank the same day. “The money is counted every Wednesday and the same day deposited into the bank. In the last two years, the donations have increased. Some employees have been suspended. They took money from devotees to provide VIP darshan. People from across the world and celebrities come to Siddhivinayak Temple for darshan. There should be an audit on how the donations have increased,” he said.
On Saturday, Raj Thackeray had alleged that the temple trustees had written to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde about a theft at the shrine and suggested that Rs 18 crore had been looted from the donation box.
“The trustees of the Siddhivinayak Temple have written a letter to Eknath Shinde informing him that a theft has occurred in the temple. There is suspicion that 18 crore rupees have been looted from the donation box. Students cannot trust the government, so if they go to a temple and theft is happening right there in that temple, then who should these children trust?” he said.
The issue comes at a time when allegations of embezzlement at the Ayodhya Ram Temple have already triggered a political row and drawn criticism from opposition leaders in Parliament.
